Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Loss, grief, and acceptance in music

I recently interviewed the brilliant writer behind Headphone Commute for Wusik Sound Magazine, it was published today in their last issue of 2012. Safe to say, I'd want as many people as possible to take part of this, so therefore you can treat yourself to reading it via this blog as well. It's all about a very special album that HC put together...

… and darkness
came

Wusik Sound
Magazine is honored to feature an interview with HC, the anonymous
writer of Headphone Commute, who’ve just released the massive
benefit album … and darkness
came, with all income going
straight towards benefit-organizations that among other things help American
continental victims of hurricane Sandy.

First listening to
the album, it comes by as hard to describe. There is nothing orthodox
about it. Being a collaborative album which features a whole lot of
composers, this transcends rigidly defined genres, but many pieces
could be said to go by definitions such as neo-classical,
experimental and ambient music. It could be seen as a coherent sound
image of more than six hours of music, which contains acoustic
interpretations on grieving, loss, melancholia and finally, of a
strong sense of renewal, acceptance and peacefulness.

First of, let me
congratulate you to the release of …
and darkness came

How does it feel
to finally see this work released unto the public?

- It's a bit unreal,
very elating, and a little sad at the same time. I mean, how am I
ever going to top this accomplishment? I've
worked so long on this project that I can not imagine myself doing
anything else. On the other hand, I don't feel like I chose to do
this - the project chose me. From the second that I had the idea of
creating a benefit compilation I was already dreading a little (to be
honest) all of the hard work that I had to do to make it happen - but
at the same time I knew that only I could do this, and it's something
that had to be done. At the end it became an obsession, and I'm happy
to finally having an opportunity to know that it's as good as it will
ever get, and let the public decide the rest. And from reading this
particular response you should gather that it's a pretty complicated
mixed feeling, one which I still haven't been able to clinically
define. I'm riding this wave, and I'm letting it toss me...

Benefit-albums
are not usually associated with ambient, experimental and
neo-classical composers; do you think this might be a step in
broadening the conception of musical
aid?

- I would say that
artists of all walks of life come together to help each other on a
usual basis. Musicians revolve in family oriented communities where
they constantly rely on each other's aid. Perhaps music of more
commercial genres is more prominent, but
benefit albums of all styles exist. A compilation by ambient,
experimental, and neo-classical composers only showcases a fraction
of this particular world, but it's a very tight circle of like-minded
friends, and together we hope to broaden everyone's horizons through
music.

What are your
thoughts on the role of artists in times of social trouble and
natural disasters?

- I've been involved
in music for many years now in various incarnations and forms. At the
end, I've learned a very basic lesson: artists
are people too. No matter how "big" a particular name may
be, behind the alias is another being, full of emotion, ideas, a bit
of ego, and all those other funny human things. Everyone wants to
feel their importance, and everyone wants to cheat death. It's
morbid, but it's true. We haven't found a way to do that yet, so the
only way to deal with mortality is to leave something behind. Artists
create art. Musicians create music. All in hopes that they'll connect
with someone on the other side, and hopefully be remembered in the
process. If there is an opportunity to make a difference, every
single person will step up. It's nice to know that some of us can
help through music. So in short, we are all honored to be able to
contribute, especially when our work benefits social trouble.

And darkness came
spans a monumental amount of 87 tracks, did you conceive the interest
and response you would receive from producers and musicians when you
began planning for this work?

- No. I'll be
honest, I had no idea if I would even
receive ten responses. I have literally emailed some of my friends in
the industry in hopes that they'll contribute towards this
humanitarian cause. I was incredibly impressed, humbled, and honored
by the response I have received. More than anything, I was also proud
of how well everything came together - I've had every single
submission by the deadline in my mailbox, giving me plenty of time to
work out the kinks. I was hoping to split up the compilation into
multiple parts, but I chose the simpler route, making it easy for a
potential buyer to make the decision. I could have easily gone to a
hundred, but I finally had to draw the line.

You have a huge
amount of folks in the artist roster, is there any specific
artist(s) which you find especially pleasing to include on the album
in question?

- There are a few of
my personal idols that I'm honored to have had contributed. Clint
Mansell is definitely one of them, as are Max Richter, Jóhann
Jóhannsson, Nils Frahm, Hauschka, Dustin O'Halloran, Ólafur
Arnalds and many, many others. As you can see (and hopefully hear), I
really enjoy cinematic orchestral music with a piano at the center
stage. I've been a fan of all of the above artists for years, and own
every single one of their releases, so it is a true honor to see
Headphone Commute (as a label) be part of their catalog.

The spirit of the
work goes against the grain of an explicit positiveness associated
with benefit-albums. What are your thoughts on the emotive aspects of
the album?

- The entire
compilation follows a particular trajectory of a natural disaster.
Although not explicitly positive, there is a narrative throughout the
tracks (and their arrangement) that deals with loss, grief, and
finally acceptance. At the same time it touches on resurrection and
rebuilding of the life we've known. This is something to do with a
circle of life, as we all live through these cycles. I don't think
that the work is particularly sad, but rather meditative,
contemplating and calm.

Listening to the
work front to back, what is your own
emotional response to the work in question?

- The 6+ hour
journey is meant to trace the feelings of the devastating events by
those who’ve experienced it, and those who’ve reacted to it from
afar. All of the pieces are emotionally
charged and are meant to evoke a particular feeling as communicated
by the artist on the other side. I tend to connect with each track on
a different level. And if a particular piece makes me feel… if it
makes me feel _anything_
at all… then the goal has been accomplished.

The benefits will
go to Doctors without borders and The Humane Society. Why did you
choose these specific organizations in question?

- I’ve spent some
time researching the charitable organizations that would properly use
the funds across the globe. In particular,
I didn’t want this to be just about New York or United States.
Hurricane Sandy has devastated portions of the Caribbean,
Mid-Atlantic and, of course, the US. But I would hate for the world
to think, “oh, we’ve had natural disasters and no one cared, but
now that it’s America, everyone is paying attention!” That part
may be true – but why not take that particular thought and make
something bigger, and allow our voices to be heard across the globe.
The organizations selected have been approved by the artists
contributing towards the cause as the ones that provide relief
services worldwide. I am hoping that although the compilation focuses
on Hurricane Sandy, the funds will go towards any and all
humanitarian causes. And of course animals are covered as well!

Last but not
least, what are your goals and hopes when it comes to …and
darkness came?

- I want it to
create positive vibes in the world on multiple levels. Sure, I want
it to raise money and benefit the charities. But
I also want the world be introduced to some wonderful music and the
artists behind each track. I really want it to be a win-win for
everyone and fail to see how it could possibly go wrong! I have no
other hidden agenda, no ego, and no financial gain behind this
project. Removing those particular evils from anything I've been
involved with has really been working for me till this day, and hope
to continue and deliver projects in unprecedented quality that speak
for themselves. I hope the world will agree...

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Now I listen to

Lubomyr Melnyk - Corollaries (2013)

The ukrainian pianist's collaboration with Nils Frahm and other avant-garde neo-classical pianists has been good for all parties. The short album Corollaries takes the seminal exploration of new sounds in his inmimicable style back to a more simple idea, of writing a set of songs that are as simple as they are beautiful. Absolutely essential!